New therapies for metastatic, ER-positive cancers?

Question fromenjoyful:
Are there any promising, new therapies for metastatic, ER+ cancers?

Answers -Kathy D. Miller, M.D.
There was no specifically new hormonal therapy, but there was important information about fulvestrant or Faslodex. This medication has typically been given as an injection in the muscle once a month and has been effective in women with ER+ metastatic disease. We learned this year that using slightly higher doses of this drug makes it more effective, but does not increase the side effects. There was also an important study looking at combining fulvestrant with an aromatase inhibitor such as Arimidex (chemical name: anastrozole). In that study, the combination was not more effective than using the drugs by themselves. So while there wasn't a new therapy specifically for women with ER+ disease, we did learn important information about how to use these existing therapies more effectively.

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